Wig supporting manikin head



Dec. 23, 1969- J. A. BROWN, JR

WIG SUPPORTING MANIKIN HEAD Filed June 19, 1967 INVENT OR. M4444: A. Awe/m4 we A TTORNEYS United States Patent O ILLS. Cl. 132-53 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved manikin head having a cranial portion which includes adjacent areas of the top and posterior of the cranium, which areas are relieved providing a recess within which a skull cap formed of a sponge rubber like material may be seated on the bottom of the recess. The skull cap is compressible from a normal thickness somewhat greater than the depth of the recess into the recess. The arrangement is such that a wig and its caul may be secured to and supported upon the skull cap so that the hair of the wig will extend away from the skull cap in a manner similar to that of the hair on the head of a human being. The Wig caul is so mounted on the skull cap as to hold the skull cap firmly in place upon the head.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention is in the field of development of manikin heads and wigs and wherein it was a common practice heretofore to mount the caul of the wig upon the upper surface of the manikin head. Commonly the wig was so supported upon the upper surface of the head that the hair did not present a natural appearance as it apparently projected away from the head from a point above the upper surface thereof. Such made it more difficult for the operator to arrange and comb the hair of the wi g to present the desired appearance.

In contradistinction applicants manikin head is provided with a recess extending over the top and a portion of the posterior area of the cranium. The wig is supported directly upon a sponge like flexible skull cap that is releasably secured within the recess and so compressed therein and so held under compression that the wig supports its hair to project away from the head in such a manner as to present the same appearance as the hair of ,a human being.

Other objects, advantages, and meritorious features will more fully appear from the following specification, claims and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a manikin head representing my invention wherein a part of the neck portion is broken away to disclose the construction thereof;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a manikin head similar to that shown in FIG. 1 except that the neck portion differs slightly from that of the head shown in FIG. 1 and a sponge rubber cap is shown as seated within a relieved area of a portion of the cranial part of the manikin head;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the same line as FIG. 3 but showing a wig as seated upon the sponge rubber cap.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 the manikin head is illustrated in two similar but slightly different structures. Each shows a representation of the female head. The head and neck portion of each is shown as a unitary structure. In the neck portion of FIG. 1 the neck has a bottom which is formed of a thin sheet of plastic as is the head itself. In FIG. 2 the bottom of the neck portion is formed of an inserted 3,485,250 Patented Dec. 23, 1969 part indicated as 12. The head and major portion of the neck in each instance are identified by the numeral 10. The head and major portion of the neck may be formed by rotational casting, a process well understood in the trade.

As shown in FIG. 1 the cranial portion of the head, that portion which includes the top and the adjacent posterior part, is relieved as shown at 14 so that it provides a relieved area within which a sponge skull cap may be seated.

In FIG. 2 such a skull cap is formed of a sponge-like material. It might be sponge rubber or polyurethane foam. Such skull cap is indicated in FIG. 2 by the numeral 16.

FIG. 1 shows a breather hole 18 through the relieved cranial portion of the head. The two heads of FIGS. 1 and 2 are hollow and the structure of the head formed of polyethylene plastic or other suitable plastic is substantially rigid and self-supporting to serve the purpose intended.

The manikin head illustrated in FIG. 2 has a bottom plate received within the lower end of the neck indicated by the numeral 12 and such might be formed of plastic or the like and provided with a socket 20. In FIG. 1 the bottom of the neck is closed by a thin sheet-like portion of plastic indicated by the numeral 22 and is provided with an internally tapered socket-like extension 24 which extends axially upwardly into the neck. This socket-like part is removably receivable over a suitably shaped pin of a floor stand or clamping device adapted to be mounted upon a table, and the manikin head is thereby properly supported for desired adjustment as needed. This stand is of a character such that the head can be adjusted to any suitable position desired during use and is a well understood appliance in the industry and forms no part of the instant invention.

As shown in FIG. 3 the relieved portion of the outer surface of the cranium is so relieved and of such shape and size that a spinge cap 16 may be received over the head to be seated within this relieved area, as shown in FIG. 2.

It will be noted that in the uncompressed state the skull cap when seated in the relieved area has a thickness normally greater than the depth of the relieved area. When it is compressed, however, by having a wig mounted thereon, the wig caul or netting 26 shown in FIG. 4 has a resilient band 28 which compresses the margin of the cap and the margin of the caul so that both are received substantially flush within the relieved area whereby the hair of the wig extends from the caul giving much the same appearance as the hair extends from the skull of a human being. Due to this when a wig is placed on the manikin for combing or any other purpose it presents a natural appearance.

The skull cap 16 when seated upon the cranium of the manikin head may be held in place by a strip of adhesive extending around the inner marginal surface as at 30. This would be a thin adhesive strip that adhesively secured itself to the underside of the skull cap and also presented an adhesive surface on its opposite side which adhesively engaged the margin of the relieved area of the cranium of the manikin head. Other pieces of adhesive coated on both sides might likewise be secured to the inner surface of the skull cap and extend thereacross or as desired and also be adhesively secured to the bottom of the relieved area of the manikin head so as to fasten the skull cap securely but removably in place upon the head of the manikin. Other means for securing the skull cap in place may be employed. It is desirable to have a skull cap which may be removed and cleaned or completely replaced for sanitary and other reasons.

The wig when placed upon the sponge skull cap will normally retain its position thereon because a sponge structure such as this has a high frictional factor and readily holds a suitable part thereto. The wig itself has a resilient strip extending around the underside of the caul about its margin and which tends to hold a wig securely but readily removably upon the skull cap so that the wig can be worked on as for example in combing the hair and arranging the same as desired.

What is claimed is:

1. A manikin head shaped to represent the human head and formed throughout its cranial portion of relatively rigid self-supporting material; the outside of the posterior area of said cranial portion and the adjacent area of the top thereof being relieved providing a recess within which a sponge-like flexible skull cap is removably received and supported; said skull cap being of a size to fit within said recess seating upon the bottom thereof, a wig mounted upon the skull cap, and within said recess and means removably holding the skull cap and the wig to said cranial portion manitainin-g the skull cap within the recess thereof and supporting the wig thereon whereby the natural growth of human hair is approximated.

2. A manikin head as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the skull cap has an uncompressed thickness greater than the depth of the r lieved area within which skull cap is seated, said skull cap being compressible within said recess to a thickness less than the depth of the relieved area.

3. A manikin head as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the skull cap has an uncompressed thickness greater than the depth of the relieved area within which such is seated and compressible to a thickness less than the depth of the relieved area, and a wig having a caul of a thickness which when added to the compressed thickness of the cap within said relieved area substantially equals the depth of the relieved area, said caul having a resilient marginal portion holding the wig against the skull cap compressing said skull cap toward the bottom of the recess 4. A manikin head as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the skull cap and wig with caul includes a resilient marginal portion holding the same toward the bottom of the recess and additional means being provided releasably connecting the skull cap within the recess to the bottom thereof.

5. A manikin head as defined in claim numbered 1 characterized in that retaining means is provided for removably fastening the skull cap in position within the relieved portion of a manikin head.

6. A manikin head as defined in claim numbered 1 characterized in that retaining means is provided for the skull cap in the form of adhesive capable of hOlding the margin of the cap seated around the margin of and within the relieved area.

7. A manikin head as defined in claim numbered 1 characterized in that the head is formed of plastic molded into shape as a one piece integral structure with the relieved area molded thereinto.

8. A manikin head as defined in claim numbered l characterized in that the head includes a neck portion provided with a socket opening extending upwardly into the neck from the bottom of the neck portion.

9. A manikin head as defined in claim numbered 1 formed of plastic molded into shape to represent a human head and having a neck portion constituting an integral part thereof and extending inwardly at the lower end of the neck portion and then extending upwardly axially of the neck portion forming a socket open at the lower end thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1958 Taylor. 7/1965 Doran 223-66 U.S. Cl. X.R. 22366 

